Sunday, June 8, 2014

Weekend Writing Warriors June 8

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly blog hop where participants post up to eight sentences of their writing. You can find out more about it by clicking on the image below.
http://www.wewriwa.com/

After the action and slight barbecuing of chapter 1, we rejoin Shayla in a more contemplative scene at the start of chapter 3.


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The clearing in front of Shayla was unnaturally level, its true purpose revealed by occasional mounds of crumbling masonry around its perimeter. Massive dressed blocks, some carved with bas-relief glyphs, jostled with less brutish remains of more recent construction. A temple in some form or other had stood on this site for over ten thousand years. A nearby half-buried dragon's head, cloaked in lichen and the height of a man, bared foot-long fangs at Shayla. She gazed past it at the emptiness of the clearing beyond.

The sun blazed high in the sky, blanketing the forest in suffocating heat. Even in deep shadows under the trees the air was stifling. Sitting on her pack, sweat tickling her spine, she squirmed and eased her shoulder into a more comfortable position.



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Ghosts update: In addition to the Smashwords outlets, the e-book is now also available on Amazon.

21 comments:

Unknown said...

That sounds like a really neat place to sweat it out...ancient ruins. I bet you won't let her sit and contemplate for very long : )

Veronica Scott said...

Ooh, loved the description of the ruins and now I want to go exploring but of course she doesn't have the leisure for that! Excellent excerpt!

Charmaine Gordon said...

Gorgeous description and Shayla is one brave woman. Super snippet.

Sarah Cass said...

Wonderful visuals as always, I could see it all...and feel the stifling heat.

Shell Flower said...

You really do a great job with the setting here. I have a very strong mental image as if I am really there with Shayla in that heat.

Anonymous said...

You really set the scene--including that oppressive heat. Reminds me of summers in Texas!

Anonymous said...

Doesn't sound as if the temple is standing (or active) now.

Anonymous said...

I love this setting. I want to go exploring too! I appreciate getting this other view of Shayla as well. Great eight.

Teresa Cypher said...

Great descriptive writing, Ian. I'm so glad you put it on Amazon. No hassle buying. :-) I just bought it. AND--the Amazon link at the end of your post gave me an error 404.

Botanist said...

Millie, she's not just admiring the scenery, as should become apparent next time.

Veronica, exploring is far from her mind right now :)

Charmaine, thanks, I like this description too.

Sarah, the heat is on!

Shell, there hasn't been much of this so far but I think descriptions are usually my strong point.

Caitlin, I can't handle heat so remind me to steer clear of Texas :)

Sue Ann, there are just ruins there now.

Alexis, we will see lots of different sides to Shayla in time.

Teresa, thanks - and thanks for the heads-up. The link was a last minute edit and I clearly didn't pay enough attention to what I was doing. Now fixed!

Elaine Cantrell said...

What wonderful description. I could actually feel the heat of the day.

Nick Wilford said...

Great description here, and the dragon's head was an intriguing touch. Makes you wonder what has occurred here over 10,000 years.

Misha Gerrick said...

Love the description in this. :-)

Botanist said...

Elaine, glad to have hit the mark.

Nick, makes you wonder, doesn't it? :)

Misha, thanks. I was kinda picturing a Mayan jungle ruin or something similar...

Marcia said...

I sense an undercurrent of tension, like the calm before the storm. I could definitely see a Mayan ruin doubling for this place. Anxious to find out what comes next!

Crystal Collier said...

Ooh! I love ruins. They set my imagination on fire. I get a sense of oppression from this scene--the layers of history crushing down on her, followed by her one weight and the pressure of the atmosphere.

Botanist said...

Marcia, glad you can feel the tension. She is not on vacation, that's for sure :)

Crystal, I love ruins too. There's a lot of architecture in Ghosts. And food.

klahanie said...

Hi Ian,

The writing so lucid. I could sense the sweat tickling her spine. Thank you for this distraction, Ian.

Gary

Chrys Fey said...

I love your word use and how vivid you made the ruins. I could picture them clearly. :)

Botanist said...

You're welcome, Gary. Good to see you visiting again.

Thanks you Chrys.

not displayed said...

Your writing really captures my imagination. Thank you for sharing

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